Is It Possible to Increase Brand Recognition AND Generate a Solid ROI?

Do me a favor and read the title of this article again. This question has been on the minds of any marketing director, purchasing manager, CEO and President at one point or another. I believe that the evidence and research that has been conducted, which I will show, will give you a much idea of how to answer the title of this article, is it possible to increase brand recognition AND generate a solid ROI using promotional products.

One of the most underutilized aspect of great marketing comes at the very end of each campaign, the evaluation. Being able to track the results of your campaign is critical. The internet provides these statics at the click of a button. It is important to highlight that promotional products and branded apparel have a highly positive effect on your branding and sales.

The British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) has conducted several surveys and done research that provides evidence that there is a direct correlation between promotional product advertising and an improvement in brand recognition and increase in sales. Here are some of the key findings from a 2012 study conducted by the BPMA. The research included surveying close to 15,000 people who had received a promotional product for free within the previous year.

66% of participants claimed they could recall the brand on the promotional product received with the past 12 months.

The ROI on promotional products delivered a better return on investment than radio and outdoor advertising, and is equal to TV and print.

79% would be likely to do business with the company again.

Most participants (87%) kept a promotional item for longer than a year!

About half (56%) said their impression of the company improved after receiving a branded item.

Popular Promotional Products

The most popular promotional products in terms of favorites listed by those who were surveyed were USB drives, pens, an electrical item, or a mug. When it comes to how long a promotional product is kept, mugs were reported to be kept longer than any other promotional item. When it comes to longevity, a good portion of them – 87% – said they kept a promotional item for longer than a year and 30%, keep promotional products up to 4 years. Of course, the longer a promotional product is kept, the more impressions it makes on the recipient and anyone else that sees the recipient using said promotional product. The impact of these products on recipients is great. They can recall the specific type of product received and also remember the brand name or name of the company for a long period of time after receiving it. In fact, over 94% of those who participated in the research study said that they do not forget the advertiser or the product advertised.

Promotional Products Change Consumer Behaviors

One of the more staggering statistics on promotional products uncovered is on how they can change buyer habits. Many consumers are willing to switch their brand in order to receive a free promotional gift. This means that advertising “free gift with purchase” can be a promotional or branded item. Consumers are much more likely to keep free branded items than they were several years ago.

When asked about re-gifting promotional products, some even said they would give away a promotional product they received to someone else as a gift. One of the main reasons that consumers keep promotional gifts is because they find them useful. There are plenty of other articles and posts on this blog that dive deeper into using promotional products and branded apparel. It doesn’t matter your industry, market, size of business or location because if promotional products are designed with innovation and creativity your consumers will remember gain a deeper understanding of your brand, products and services.